Slave charge eyed in Austria dungeon case

VIENNA, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Austrian legal experts say prosecutors are exploring charging Josef Fritzl with slavery for locking his daughter away in a cellar dungeon for 24 years.

The Times of London said Sunday prosecutors have been soliciting opinions on the slavery option, which would carry a longer prison sentence than the incarceration and incest charges he currently faces.

The newspaper said Fritzl also faces rape and manslaughter charges; however, the evidence supporting the charges is considered weak.

Austria's slavery statute carries a 20-year prison sentence while incarceration, the strongest of the current charges, has a 10-year maximum.

Prosecutors expect to formally charge the 73-year-old Fritzl by the end of September and begin his trial in December.